


Tenogygia

by 626ashleystarling



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Boys In Love, Erik is a Sweetheart, Erik is a tease, Fairy Tail Dragon Slayers, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mythology References, Pirates, ftlgbt2020, jellal is not in a dress, jerikweek2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:35:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25669054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/626ashleystarling/pseuds/626ashleystarling
Summary: Then Erik woke up. The sun was right above him, burning into his retinas. The sky was clear with a few scattered clouds. He attempted to raise his arms, but they were so badly burned he winced at the attempt. He took a while, then finally groaned and sat up, feeling dizzy and woozy.Then he heard footsteps kicking up sand as someone ran towards him. "What the hell happened to my beach?! Who the hell are you?!""Relax miss", he muttered, turning to face an angry woman with long blue hair and a red mark over her eye. She was wearing a plain, all white kimono. "I don't think-""I'm a man!"orJellal meets Erik and wants to ship him off his beach.
Relationships: Cobra | Erik & Cubellios | Kinana, Cobra | Erik & Jellal Fernandes, Cobra | Erik/Jellal Fernandes
Kudos: 18
Collections: Archive for Jerik Week Stories





	Tenogygia

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Jerik Week! This is for day two (tier 2 and 3). Enjoy~

Erik laughed at his sister, who was currently trying to swing from the mizzenmast to the aft spar deck while attempting not to kick anyone in the head. She kicked uncontrollably, flailing her feet in all directions, until she knocked the cook unconscious with one well placed kick.

"Sorry!" Kinana called back. She let go of the rope and flew through the air, like a bird. Then she landed on the captain, who cussed her senseless.

"Oy! I should make you walk the plank for that girlie!", Captain Zero complained, grabbing her by the hair. She yelped and clutched his hand. 

"Let got of me!"

"That will be quite enough sir", Erik warned, wringing him off his sister. "Are we good?"

Zero growled and released Kinana. She hurriedly got up, ran behind her brother and shot Zero a raspberry. Erik chuckled and chauffeured her away from the captain.

As they walked down the stairs, she turned to Erik. "Oh Erik isn't this wonderful? We're on an adventure!"

The crystal clear sea stretched for miles around them, while birds flew overhead and the sun shone down. The sky was clear, free of clouds, and the scenery painted a picture of elegance. Kinana in turn fit the scene perfectly, with her short purple hair and light green dress. Erik, on the other hand, was wearing a pirate's blouse with brown trousers. His usually spiky marron hair was wet from sea spray.

"Getting threatened by pirates everyday is wonderful?" He asked with a smirk, as he tried to shake his hair back to it's common spikes.

Kinana frowned. "Well, no. But I'm sure they'll come to like us."

"Not the poor cook you kicked in the face", he sighed, pointing back to the woman who was currently flipping her off.

"Sorry again!", she said, waving. Then she looked out to the sea, eyes full of wonder. "It is wonderful."

Erik laughed. "Well, don't get too caught up, we need to get ready for din-"

"DOLPHINS!"

Sure enough the majestic mammals were swimming right next to the ship. The pod was huge; about forty or fifty of them were swimming alongside them. They squeaked and called out to them, and Kinana waved. "Hi!"

"How old are you anyways, four", Erik teased, walking away.

Kinana frowned and punched him. "I'm fourteen, thank you very much. And I don't know why you have to come along, I'm old enough to travel alone."

"Dad wanted an adult to chaperone you."

"Huff, you're barely eighteen."

Erik rolled his eyes. "Come on Cubellios, we have to eat", he said with a smirk, ruffling her hair. She frowned, then pouted, then laughed.

"Alright, alright, but I don't need you to accompany me; I'm a grown woman."

"Whatever you say."

~

The boat rocked gently. Erik sighed as he allowed it to rock him into a deep sleep. He turned over onto his side mid sleep. He groaned and turned again. Feeling uncomfortable, he turned yet again and dropped onto the floor.

"Ow dang it", he cursed, rubbing his forehead. Standing up, he stretched and fell face first back into the bed.

That's when he noticed the screaming.

It was far away, almost inaudible, but Erik was able to hear it from his bunk. Grabbing his jacket, he raced to see what was going on.

He made it to the deck when he smelled the smoke and he got burned before he saw the fire. "What the hell!"

"Get out of here Sir Erik", one of the crew members said to him. "Go to the life craft!"

"Where is Kinana?", he asked him. The man shrugged and raced to get more water. "Kinana?!"

 _She must still be sleeping_ , he realized. "Damn it!" He turned and went back below to find her. "Kinana!" The smoke was already below deck, so Erik was forced to cover his nose with his sleeve. "Kinana!"

"Erik?" She opened the door to her room and immediately entered a coughing fit. "What in the world-"

He grabbed her arm and pulled her back onto the deck. "Come on!"

They barely made it to the deck before the lookout mast fell and they had to dodge it. Crew members were running around like ants in a destroyed hill. They stopped to the side of the deck where the boat was, only to see that it was already on the water. Erik released Kinana's arm and pushed her on the boat with no warning.

"Oof!", she squeaked as she landed. "Erik!" She stretched her arm out for him. "Come on! Jump!"

He looked down and braced himself to jump, but he heard something zip towards him.

"Look out!"

He didn't have time to think before he was whipped in the gut by a loose, flaming rope. He stumbled backwards, trying to find air for his lungs. He felt as if he was set on fire from the inside. The last thing he heard before blacking out was Kinana calling his name.

~

Then Erik woke up. The sun was right above him, burning into his retinas. The sky was clear with a few scattered clouds. He attempted to raise his arms, but they were so badly burned he winced at the attempt. He took a while, then finally groaned and sat up, feeling dizzy and woozy.

Then he heard footsteps kicking up sand as someone ran towards him. "What the hell happened to my beach?! Who the hell are you?!"

"Relax miss", he muttered, turning to face an angry woman with long blue hair and a red mark over her eye. She was wearing a plain, all white kimono. "I don't think-"

"I'm a man!"

Erik stared at him for a solid minute, registering what he said. "What?"

"I-am-a-man."

The teen smiled awkwardly, in an attempt not to laugh, before he gave up and started cackling. "Wow, what a nice dress, and when last did you cut your hair?"

The blue haired male flushed red in anger. "It's called a kimono you fool, and my hair isn't any of your business!"

Erik just continued laughing.

The male growled and turned to the sea. "Take him back! You're supposed to send me hot girls!"

"What? Is this place meant for you to lire people to their deaths?"

The long haired man looked back at him and frowned. "In your case, I wish."

He began to walk away, and Erik got up to follow, albeit with a lot of wincing. "Hey, where the hell are we?"

"Tenogygia."

"Ten-o-jee-jee-a", Erik repeated.

"Yes."

"Why were you freaking out about the beach?"

They boy's frown got deeper. "Because you left a smoking crater in the middle of it."

Erik looked back to see a shallow dent where he woke up. "Woah..." He turned back to the other boy. "Who are you?"

"I don't care to tell you."

"Oh yeah, I bet I can get you to tell me."

The blue haired boy groaned. "Shut up okay."

"It begins with J."

That got him to stop. "Huh? How-?"

"I can read minds." The other boy raised his eyebrow skeptically. "Okay really though it's on the tag of your dress."

"Kimono."

"Yeah, whatever."

They began walking again, with Erik talking endlessly into the bluenette's ear. He just kept going and going and going...

"My name is Jellal damn it!"

"Finally! I thought I would have to start talking about my mother's toe fungus surgery."

Jellal grimaced. "Disgusting."

"Nah I made that up." That's when he noticed they weren't on the beach anymore. Instead they were in the roots of a humongous tree in the center of the island. "Oh my gosh-"

"This is the tree of life. It supplies everything this island needs to live: food, oxygen, and shelter." Jellal grabbed one of Erik's scared arms. "Well, since you're injured, you should get those treated."

"Um...", he said, "Sure."

Jellal let him go and began crawling deeper into the roots. "Aren't you coming?"

~

Erik inspected his newly bandaged arms. "This isn't bad at all."

Jellal looked at him and huffed. "Whatever." He tossed the last of the bandages to him. "Finish your legs; I'll go start dinner."

"Where is this place exactly?", Erik asked Jellal as he turned to leave. "Is it near the Mediterranean?"

"....it isn't really anywhere."

And with that ominous statement, he left.

"Weird flex but alright." Erik looked at his surroundings. The cave he was in, if you can even call it that, was built from some roots from the tree that managed to create a dome-like structure. Thorns and leaves somehow grew despite the lack of sunlight, and the air was cool and damp.

"Does he live here?", he muttered to himself. He laid down on the leaf mat Jellal set for him and closed his eyes. _I wonder if Kinana's alright..._ , he thought. He then promptly fell asleep.

~

"Get up."

Erik was dosed with cold, bone chilling water that had him up instantly. "Pfft-huh?!"

"Morning", Jellal said, dropping the now empty bucket. "I came to see how you were feeling."

"I was feeling FINE until you WOKE me up!", Erik complained, spiting out water. He watched as Jellal began to uncover his leg and check on the burns. 

"Hmm...not too bad I suppose. I need to make some ointment to help with that."

"Um...okay." 

Erik felt weird whenever Jellal touched him. His hands were surprisingly soft and cool, and when they tend to his wounds some of Erik's braincells malfunction, leaving him speechless. "So um...why are you here?"

"To help you off this island as soon as possible."

"No, I mean, why are you here, on the island? Alone?"

Jellal stopped and looked up at him. "As if that was your problem. And I'm not alone. I have my plants and my animals."

"Old Mc-Jellal had a farm", Erik teased, holding back his laughter. "E-i-e-i-oh!"

"Huh? What are you singing?"

"Come on, you've heard Old McDonald, right?"

Jellal gave him a strange look. "No..."

Erik sent him the same look in reply. "Weirdo..."

"Hey, I'm not the one singing about old men's farms." He got up and dusted his hands off. "Change and meet me on the beach in ten minutes", he commanded.

Erik found the new clothes on the edge of the mat. "He brought me a dress", he mumbled spitefully. It was a yellow kimono with green leaves. He quickly changed and met Jellal with a picnic blanket and enough food to stuff a cow. The bluenette was sitting, waiting.

"Why are we eating on the beach?", Erik asked Jellal, as he sat too. "Like, not that I mind but-"

"Stop. You're asking silly questions." Jellal sighed. "Look, the beach is calm. It's quiet. We're not trapped under a tree. And it's beautiful. Anything else?"

"...what types of animals do you have?"

"Mainly freshwater amphibians, like frogs and such, and poultry, but I also have two mice."

"Huh?"

Said creatures ran to Jellal's side and up his shoulder. "These are Julius and Thisbe. Julius is the white one; Thisbe is brown."

Thisbe squeaked. Erik smiled and scratched her chin. Jellal smiled too. "She likes you."

"Surprising?"

"Not really. It just the last time someone was here..."

Erik stopped and looked at Jellal, who looked in the other direction. "We're not the only ones here?"

"Yes we are", Jellal snapped back. He stood up and glanced at the sky. "You're helping with chores today."

"What?! Why?"

"Because you are not freeloading off of me. Simple. Now hurry up eat so we can start."

The teen finished off his meal and got up. "I can't get seconds?", he asked sheepishly.

He noticed Jellal trying to fight a smile off his face. "I'll take that as a compliment and not you trying to procrastinate. Now, start with the dishes."

Okay...don't know how to do that, but okay, Erik thought. He grabbed the corners of the blanket and started to take them to the cave.

"To the water, wash them there", Jellal instructed. "Then take them to the cave. I have to feed the animals, then do our laundry. I'll be back to check on you."

Erik nodded and allowed Jellal to leave him. "I should've asked how to wash dishes...oh well, it can't be difficult right?"

Wrong. After four hours of scrubbing and angry screeching, Erik managed to break four plates and semi-clean one. Frustrated, he threw a shell into the water.

"How's it going?" 

He didn't even turn to look at Jellal. "I'm pathetic. I can't even wash a dish."

"Seriously?" 

Erik nodded.

He blushed when he heard Jellal's stifled laughter. "It's not funny."

"Come here, I can help you. Watch." Jellal picked up the plate Erik was working so hard on and inspected it. "You didn't do too bad. When it's this bad, let it soak in the water for a while, then clean it later. This one", he picked up another one. "can be washed now."

Jellal began to scrub the plate gently with the cloth. Then he dunked it in the water and began to wipe it. "There! How is it that you never learned how to clean a plate?"

Erik folded his arms and sighed. "My family's-well, not rich per say- but expensive enough to pay nannies to take care of me and my sister."

"What about your mother?"

"She left."

"Oh...I'm sorry."

"Nah, that's okay", Erik told him, picking up his own plate to clean. "What about your family?"

"Never knew my mother and my dad left me here."

The teen stayed silent for a moment. "Why?"

Jellal stopped and stared at the plate, as if he wanted to find the answer in his reflection. "He was a crook, as you might say nowadays. Gambled a lot."

"You were his payment?", Erik guessed.

Silence. "Hurry up with the dishes already."

"I thought you were helping me."

"I said you are not freeloading off of me."

Erik chuckled and began to finish the plates, "What do you do once you finish the chores?"

"Well normally I play with the animals, or I read."

"That's it? All day."

"Yeah...I know, what a sad existence."

Erik looked him over, like he really couldn't believe this was the life of someone he found so...interesting. "Have you ever played tag?"

"Tag?"

"Tag You're It? When you chase people until you find them and then they become "it"?" Erik got up. "I'll teach you, come on."

~

Round fifteen: Jellal was being chased and Erik is "it". They were really deep into the game now. Thisbe joined at some point and was tag-teaming against Jellal with Erik. Julius watched and cheered on Jellal.

Jellal hid in a bush to catch his breath, when he noticed something scurry from out of his line of vision. _Come on give me a break Thisbe_ , he thought miserably. _I have to move_.

He got up, peeked behind him, failed to see Erik and began running. He made it five yards before he was tackled by the "it". Laughing uncontrollably, Erik ended up rolling them onto the sand, pinning Jellal under him.

"Ow!" The older one complained angerly.

The maroonette grimaced. "Sorry, I was a little ruff."

Jellal covered his face with his hands, and Erik became quite aware of their positioning. Face flushed scarlet, he asked, "Are you alright Jellal?"

"Yeah yeah I'm fine." He moved his hands to his sides and looked up at Erik, who was smiling awkwardly and turning his face away. "What are you laughing for?"

"I'm not", came the quick response. Then both of them broke down in laughter, Erik rolling off of Jellal. "Sorry man."

"No, I'm alright. Let's take a break."

They were laying there, catching their breath, sighing. And Erik thought that it was nice.

~

By the time Erik was there for the tenth day, they entered a nice rhythm of work and play. Jellal managed to teach Erik how to do laundry and cook eggs (the first attempts nearly cost their lives however).

Thisbe got attached to Erik quickly, and they always team up when playing any sort of competitive game. Julius refuses to help Jellal. Ever.

"Jellal", the teen said, turning to face the other. They just finishing playing "soccer", using a watermelon as a ball. Now they were eating that watermelon. They sat under the cool of a coconut tree, watching the waves in the water. "How old are you?"

"How old am I? Well, um...", he frowned. "I don't know. What year is it?"

"X791."

"I was born X357, so about...434."

The chewed up fruit almost fell out of Erik's mouth. "...I'm sorry what."

"I'm immortal as long as I stay on this island. You are too actually."

"Really? Then why didn't you say that sooner? I would stay here to annoy the hell out of you for eternity." Erik joked.

Jellal chucked, but the laughter didn't reach his eyes. "...Do you have anyone back home?"

"Yeah. My kid sister and my dad."

"...I see..."

"But really, they probably think I'm-hey is something wrong?"

Erik watched Jellal walk towards to beach. "I'll be right back. I have to check something."

Reading the change of atmosphere, Erik simply nodded and watched him walk away. "That's weird." He sat alone for a few minutes, slowly dozing off to sleep.

He was almost there when he hear the yelling. "This is your fault!"

That woke Erik up with a start. _Who is he screaming at?_

It got louder. "THIS ISN'T FAIR, AND YOU KNOW IT!"

Erik hid behind a thick root as Jellal and his companion came closer.

"Sweetheart, come on-"

"No! Screw you and this "sweetheart" crap. Screw you, screw Elfman, screw Lisanna and Erza and Ultear and Erik! All of you! You're making me want things I can't have!"

"Jellal, calm down. This isn't like you."

Silence.

"Look, I know you're upset right now, so we can talk about Erik later, alright?"

"...why did you send a boy?"

"Why not? Times are changing sweetie. It's more acceptable now then you think."

"But I don't like him. He's annoying and irritating and really, really-"

"Cute?"

"Yeah cu-", Jellal choked on the word. "Hey! Don't do that!"

Erik couldn't help it at this point. He turned and snuck a peek and the person Jellal was talking with.

For starters, the girl was HUGE, about twenty feet tall really. She had long white hair with her bangs in a ponytail. Her dress was nothing more than a piece of cloth draped over her and a gold rope tied around her waist. She bent down and patted Jellal's head, like he was some frustrated puppy. He looked like one too, with a completely flushed face and crossed arms.

Erik thought he was adorable.

"I know you like him. Maybe he'll stay, if you just ask."

"You heard him. He has his sister waiting for him. In fact, I'm sure he'll want to leave soon."

Erik swallowed.

"Jellal, don't push him away."

"...go away Mirajane."

Jellal turned his back on her, ending the conversation.

Mirajane huffed, folded her arms and disappeared with a _poof_.

Erik was still behind the tree, wondering _what to do._

~

"Hey Giant Lady!", Erik called out. "Where are you?!"

It was in the middle of the night, and Jellal was fast asleep in the tree cave. Erik was standing impatiently on the sand, waiting. "Giant Lady!"

Mira appeared behind him and picked him up, scaring the literal crap out of him. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" 

"It's two in the morning, what is it?"

"I want you to allow Jellal to leave the island with me."

Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or the request, but Mirajane's face said something like _it's too early for this_. "I'm not the one to decide that."

"Then who is?"

"My mother, but she's cranky without sleep. What brought this up?"

"I...um..."

"You eavesdropped on our conversation earlier huh?"

Erik sweat dropped. "Look big...scary...beautiful woman. I think I-"

"Like Jellal?"

"...yes."

Mira put him down and patted his head. "Look, I'll make a deal with you." She sat down next to him, legs stretched to the water. "If you can get Jellal to admit to you that he loves you in five days, then I will convince my mother to release him."

"If I _don't?_ "

"Then you'll leave him here." Mira crossed her arms. "Forever."

Erik growled. "Why don't I just beat the hell out of you instead?"

Smart. Try to beat up the twenty foot tall woman. The giantess smirked. "That's cute."

Growling some more, Erik turned his back on her, just like Jellal did. "Fine. I'm in."

"You can't tell him about this arrangement okay sweetie. And he has to confess _first_. If not-"

"Yeah, yeah whatever."

~

"Wake up."

Jellal was bathed with steaming hot water, waking him up instantly. "What the-!"

"Morning sunshine", Erik said, smirking as he tossed the bucket to the side, "The sun's awake, and you should be too."

The now wet and agitated boy groaned. "Why?"

"Come on, change. I have a surprise for you."

Pouting, Jellal changed into a plain orange kimono and followed the other outside. "What is so amazing that you had to wake me up so early?"

"Jeez, if you don't want breakfast...", Erik shrugged, "I guess I have to eat all of this alone."

"Huh?" The maroon haired male gestured to the picnic his set up on the eastern side of the beach. "I wanted to watch the sun rise."

Jellal was blushing up to his ears. "Oh, oh wow, um..."

Erik dragged him over to the blanket and sat him down. "I promise that I won't poison you...intentionally...", he grimaced, feeling the nerves crawl up his back.

Jellal looked at the assortment of dishes. _Everything_ had eggs in it: from the omelets to the rice and even eggs and salmon. The older one had to smile; he _tried_ and by heavens was he cute doing it too. Erik was blushing hard and pouting, waiting for Jellal to try it.

Well, the worse that could happen was food poisoning. So he ate the egg and salmon. Opinion? The fish was a little undercooked, but in all everything was great. The eggs were nearly perfect, just as fluffy and yellow as Jellal liked it. "Delicious", he complimented, smiling at the other.

 _Cute, cute cute,_ Erik's blush darkened. "Great, glad you liked it."

 _Oh no he's hot._ "Great", came the awkward response.

~

The next day, Jellal was finishing up the laundry. He was just putting the last sheet in the basket when Erik snuck up behind him and latched his arms around Jellal's waist, unbeknownst to the other. The sudden action caused Jellal to drop the basket and turn red like a summer strawberry. "Ack! Erik what are you doing?!"

The other grinned a devilish grin. "Nothing."

"You're a little close, could you get off?" The older one tried and failed to push Erik off, and this only cause the other to pull him closer. "Let go!"

"If you really want me to let go, then you have to dance with me", Erik proposed.

Jellal turned to face him; he had enough space to do that. "Dance? Now why on earth would I do that?"

"Because it's fun. Come on, dance", Erik pleaded as he spun them around.

Jellal buried his face in Erik's neck, in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. "Why..."

Erik stopped and pushed Jellal off of him so that he could see his face, although the other just covered his face with his hands. "Do you _not_ want to spent time with me?"

Jellal reluctantly placed his hands around Erik's neck, pouting as he did so. "Fine", he groaned, even though he didn't look miserable. Erik took that as a win.

~

_Day three, come on Erik, you can do this._

"Hey Jellal", he said, swallowing down his nerves. This was a big moment. This was nothing like the dance in the fields or the picnic at sunrise. Nope. If all goes well, then Erik could be getting his confession and sailing off this island with Jellal.

Or Erik could botch this up, and he'll be trapped here forever. No pressure.

The other was exasperated. What did Erik want now, a dinner date? "Yeah?"

"Can you meet me on the beach later tonight?"

Jellal didn't know what to expect. "Okay, sure."

That night, it was a full on emotional interrogation. Well, at least not at first.

First, it was a simple night under the stars, sweet, relaxing, comfortable. Erik pointed out a few he learned on the pirate ship: Ursa Minor and Major, Lynx, Sagittarius. Jellal listened diligently, finding the passionate ways he talked about the stars fascinating. Then the conversation turned to Erik wanting to be a sailor and all the things he may find out at sea. Jellal found it heartwarming but sad, feeling as if he'll never experience these things. Erik questioned about the tattoo and the island, which Jellal answered truthfully, that he'll never be able to leave the island and the tattoo was his shackles. In other words, as long as he had the tattoo, he can never leave.

Jellal didn't realize he was crying, until Erik pulled him into hug. "I'm sorry", the teen whispered. "It's okay, I'm so sorry."

"No it's not", he whimpered into Erik's chest. "I can't leave. Not now, not ever. I'm being punished for something I didn't do. It's isn't fair."

"Shh...I know..."

"The only way I could leave is if I get someone to...to feel the same way I do..."

Erik stroked the other's hair, in a futile attempt to calm him. His mother used to do it all the time and it worked.

"But it's hard...Erza didn't love me. Neither did Ultear." Jellal pressed he face deeper into Erik's chest. He whispered this last part so softly, Erik almost didn't hear it. "Neither do you. No matter how much I love, it isn't enough. I can't have love. Even though I loved Erza, and Ultear. Even though I love you."

Jellal expected Erik to stop listening at this point. What he didn't expect was to be picked up by the chin, forced to look in Erik's eyes and hear the words "I love you too."

"...what?"

"I love you too you idiot. You're such a dork I can't."

"Wait a minute-"

"Are you gonna just gawk at me or what?"

"I...um..."

Erik pulled him back into a hug, taking in his scent of salt water and lavender. "You're adorable."

 _You wanna play that huh? Fine, two can play it that game._ "You're not too bad yourself, sexy."

The teen turned as red as a rose. "Not fair!"

Jellal laughed at his annoyed expression, unaware of his face tattoo that was now forming cracks. Erik watched at the markings shattered, and fell as pixie dust like particles on the sand. He brushed Jellal's now clear skin with his thumb, as the bluenette was finally made aware of what was going on.

"...am I? Am I dreaming? What just freed me?"

Tears of joy ran down his face. Erik rested his forehead on Jellal's and smiled.

"The thing you deserve to have the most. Love."


End file.
